Communication is Key
by In a Golden Reflection
Summary: Mark stepped down the carpet stairs, peering into the familiar kitchen doorway and seeing Tyler leaning against a marble counter playing on his phone. He looked..tired? No, something else. Closed off, maybe? What happens when Mark teases Tyler a bit too much? (Mark/Tyler) (Tyler/Mark) apocalyptiplier ONESHOT


_**Okay, so I dunno how many of you guys are into apocalyptiplier, and this site sucks at tagging...but I hope you that are into the ship find these stories! ...eventually.**_

 _ **The May charity livestream compelled me to write this...**_  
 _ **They were talking about Tyler's intense hatred for ranch, and it was funny, but then it went on for a while...and then Tyler left the stream...and I felt so bad for him. So when I heard they were doing a livestream today I thought MARK YOU NEED TO APOLOGIZE BEFORE YOU DO ANY STREAMING. NO STREAMING TILL YOU MAKE UP WITH TYLER.**_

 _ **But they prob shrugged it off in real life, so I decided to make Mark apologize myself!**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

 _ **~Goldie**_

"Alright, we ready to start the stream?" Kat addressed the other people room, looking up from her sitting position on the large red beanbag. Amy nodded as Ethan hollered excitedly, even going as far as throwing his hands into the air. Mark smiled along with them. "I think we're all ready!"

Kat began typing at her laptop keyboard to start the charity stream on Youtube, when Mark began looking around.

Wait. Tyler wasn't there.

Where was he?

Mark didn't want to stream without him. "Uh, actually..."

Ethan dropped his hands with an exaggerated gasp, "Mark isn't ready!"

"Too late, we're starting." The keyboard kept on clicking. Mark stood from his chair, "I'm going to go get Tyler."

"Alright, but hurry."

As he left the room he heard Amy call out behind him, "I think he was down in the kitchen!"  
Tyler knew they were having another livestream today to follow up the one from yesterday. So why was he in the kitchen when they were ready to start? The youtuber walked down the spaceous hallway, Ethan's voice projecting from the other room.

"Hi everyone! Mark will be here in a second, he's just grabbing Tyler!"

Mark stepped down the carpet stairs, peering into the familiar kitchen doorway and seeing Tyler leaning against a marble counter playing on his phone. He looked..tired? No, something else. Numb? Closed off, maybe?

"Hey man." Mark walked into the kitchen, giving Tyler one of his trademark goofy smiles. "We're starting the stream. You wanna join?"  
Tyler shrugged halfheartedly, eyes not leaving his phone screen.

"...Is that a no?"

Again, he shrugged.

"You don't know?"

Shrugged.

"Alright, what's up. You okay?"

A one-shoulder shrug. Mark sighed.

"Come on, Tyler, if something's wrong, you gotta tell me. Can't solve the problem it if you don't say something."

Tyler looked up from his phone, coldly staring down Mark with a raised brow. But Mark stared back, determined to find out why his best friend was so down. He wanted to help Tyler, because Tyler's helped him so much in the past! He was his North Star, after all.  
Eventually, Tyler sighed, closing his eyes and putting the phone in his pocket. Gray-blue eyes opened and focused on Mark.

"...fine. But just listen. Don't talk until I'm done."  
Mark snorted, because since WHEN does he not listen? He's the best listener ever! Sure, he may be more of a talker, but-

"It's about yesterday."

Yesterday? What happened yesterday? Everything seemed to be going well. He did leave during the last two hours of the stream... did something happen during it?

"About the ranch thing."

Mark rolled his eyes, his posture going slack.

God, he's still stuck on the ranch thing? Why? It was a joke! Seriously, Mark can understand not liking ranch, but what normal person constantly compares ranch to horse semen?!  
It must've looked like Mark was going to speak, because Tyler raised a finger pointed at Mark, "No, let me talk. I know it's ridiculous. It's pretty funny, too. I've hated it since high school, you remember that. And you've teased me about it, sure. I don't mind! But yesterday..."

Tyler crossed his arms, staring a hole into the wall across from him.

"It was really over the top. Like, you spent a whole 15 minutes just ragging on me about it."

"You're-"

"Hush. And no, I'm not exaggerating. I rewatched yesterday's stream. You literally spent 15 minutes."

Mark hunched over, feeling a bit uneasy. Guilty, more like. He didn't know he had gone that long about it. Maybe he took the joke too far. Tyler continued to speak.  
"You always assured me that you were okay with my eccentric dislike of ranch. But yesterday it felt like you were taking it all back." He gestured to himself, " 'Hey, look at my weirdo boyfriend! I can't believe he actually thought I was okay with this! Ranch and horse semen? He's disgusting!' "

Tyler dropped his hands and grew silent, his jaw muscle rippling slightly as he clenched it.

Mark just watched. He didn't realize that's how Tyler felt. the joke went on for far too long, if Tyler felt like this.  
"I..." Mark spoke. His voice was hushed and rough. His gaze drifted to the floor. What could he say? "I'm... I didn't know I went that far. I didn't mean to hurt you, Tyler. I'm sorry." He lifted his head again, speaking a little stronger. "I'm sorry."

Tyler was watching him. Even when Mark was done apologizing, he was watching him. Tyler gave a small smile, after what seemed like ages to Mark.

"It's okay. Like, the joke was okay..." He sighed, "I know it's a weird thing. The part that was upsetting was...you said it was fine, but then you sort of...it sounded like you were taking it all back during the stream. You know?"  
"I know." Mark nodded.  
They stood there, the atmosphere settling around them. It was silent, but comfortably so, as they let the conversation end.

"So." Mark coughed, struggling to find something to say, "We, uh...we good?"

Tyler smirked and rolled his eyes. Even if Mark's choice of words were awful (at best), Tyler knew what he meant.

"We're good."

The youtuber smiled, snaking his arms around Tyler's waist and squeezing him tight. The taller wrapped his arms around Mark, cradling him.  
"Didn't you say," Tyler spoke softly, his voice rumbling, "There's a livestream going on right now?"

Mark nodded into Tyler's chest, "Yeah. You up for it?"

"Sure."

The pair walked up the stairs, hand in hand, back into the stream room with the others.


End file.
